"Mr. Rabb Goes to Washington" is an episode of JAG that first aired on November 10, 1998. Directed by Jeannot Szwarc. Written by Stephen Zito.
The episode begins with a special ZNN report by Norman Delaporte (Barry Jenner) titled "Death in the Desert," which alleges a team of U. S. Marines stormed in a chemical weapons compound in El-Bakkar, Iraq, and used sarin gas to kill three American engineers working for Saddam Hussein.
Congresswoman Bobbi Latham (Anne Marie Johnson) begins congressional hearings in the matter and asks that Lt. Commander Rabb to be assigned to her temporarily as her "truth detector." Sergeant Ford (Bentley Mitchum) testifies that Sergeant Morrison (John Schneider) returned from the mission with sarin gas canisters on his belt.
Rabb goes beyond his assigned duty and conducts an investigation, discovering four additional minutes of mission footage that exonerates Morrison, shown on the tape with tear gas canisters (labeled "CS," and not "GB" as Ford asserted earlier). Latham takes Delaporte to task for lying to Congress in that he didn't buy the tape and that the tape was only 18 minutes as opposed to 22.
Meanwhile, Major MacKenzie goes to the airport to pick up Lt. Commander Mic Brumby (Trevor Goddard) of the Royal Australian Navy. On account of his American mother, Brumby has dual citizenship. Brumby is an "exchange officer."
Mac's husband Chris (Joe Lando) shows up. They're still married because Mac neglected to file the divorce papers. Chris has a debt with a loan shark in the amount of $15,000. Mac gives him $3,000. This sets up the next episode, "People v. Mac."
Tropes
- The Alcoholic: Sergeant Morrison, the Marine Recon team leader was so badly affected by this mission that he turned to drink to cope.
- Alphabet News Network: ZNN for CNN.
- Doing Research: Lt. Roberts for Rabb.
- Hauled Before A Senate Subcommittee: Marines involved with the El-Bakkar incident, and Rabb, too, at the end of the episode.
- Operation: [Blank]: Operation Scirocco, which took place on February 23, 1991, and during which the Marine Recon team allegedly committed a war crime.
- To Be Continued: At the airport, after Mac gives Chris $3,000. Presumably this means Chris won't just go away quietly.
